Here are some strategies to promote active listening:
Teacher Talk Moves
Get the habit of asking your students these two questions to ensure pupil talk is impacting on learning:
Has anyone got a different idea? (This makes it clear you don’t want the same thing repeated – so they need to have listened!)
What do you think about what X said? (In a classroom of ‘critical listeners’, everyone should be continually thinking about whether they agree or disagree with what their peers are saying.)
Instructions
Use active listening instructions such as these:
I’ll tell you three key points – then I will call on three of you to repeat these key points so everyone can hear them again.
I will be using lolly sticks after this task and asking some of you what your partner thinks.
I’m now going to talk to you for a few minutes about [topic]. Listen carefully and then I’ll call on one of you to summarise, and a couple of you to add to that summary. You may want to make notes.
Pupils giving attention to the speaker
